I
n spite of all previous forecasts, the weather stayed
dry at Silverstone on race day. Other predictions
proved more accurate. Like that made by Yamaha’s
first-ever premier class World Champion Giacomo
Agostini – that Jorge Lorenzo would win.
Ago had little choice, speaking at a function hosted by
Yamaha with Lorenzo by his side. Jorge had given his rivals
more leeway, off the front row again after getting caught out
by a late rain shower in qualifying. He took it all back over 20
laps of the fine, long and fast old-new airfield circuit, making
just one slip, quickly recovered. His lead dropped from 2.3
seconds to 1.8 on that lap, but was up to 3.3 by the flag.
The second half of the race was somewhat austere, but
dramatic early laps made up for it.
An unusual front row, partly the result of the shower late
in qualifying, had Alvaro Bautista (San Carlo Honda) on pole,
from Ben Spies (Yamaha) and Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda).
It was Spies away first from the start, with Dani Pedrosa
(Repsol Honda), on the second row with Lorenzo, for once
getting boxed in before he could escape.
Spies led for four laps, chased by Stoner, Bautista and
fast-away Nicky Hayden (Marlboro Ducati). Team-mate
Valentino Rossi, the only one to risk using the harder tyre
option in sunny but cool conditions, languished at the back
of the top ten.
The front quartet gained a little gap, with Lorenzo now
heading the chase from Andrea Dovizioso (Monster Yamaha),
Pedrosa and Hector Barbera (Pramac Ducati).
Hayden, mindful that his Duke might chew up the softer
tyre later on, was making the most of the early laps, had
a strong stab at Bautista, but one lap later was starting to
run wide. He succumbed to the advancing Lorenzo on lap
six, and later the same lap missed the apex by so much that
Dovi and Pedrosa also go by. He would fade from then on.
On lap five Stoner had taken advantage of a slip by Spies
to edge ahead, and at once started to work on his lead, up
to almost a second on lap seven.
Lorenzo could see the danger. Spies was losing pace and
was an easy victim, and his smooth lines and high corner
speed carried him past Bautista easily enough, so he was
now in second place. Now the race was on.
By lap nine he was with the Honda. “At the beginning
the pace was really fast, faster than practice, but I waited a
bit to see my position, and when they slowed a bit I could
take my chance,” he said, adding: “We are making a perfect
season to now.”
Stoner resisted, but knew the outcome:
“At the beginning of the race I was having to push really
hard, and I had no edge grip, especially on the left-hand side,
and I was pushing in areas where I was not too happy to
push. It seemed there was something wrong with the left
hand side of the tyre, even from early on.”
Lorenzo blew by at the start of lap 12, and Stoner
defended vigorously, squaring off the corners while the
Yamaha was sweeping round smoothly. The fight was over
before the lap was ended, and within four laps Lorenzo was
better than two seconds ahead.
Pedrosa had been following Dovi through when the Italian
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GPWEEK.com //
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